Category: Information

The American Japanese chain Benihana opened up yesterday for business and I passed by today and took a quick peek. The place is much larger than I expected since although it has a small shop front it actually expands quite a lot to the back and sides. I didn’t eat there but took a look at their menu and the prices seemed pretty good if not cheap in some cases at first glance. They had 6 pieces of crab maki for example for KD1.500, 6 pieces of California for KD2.500 and their most expensive special maki was like KD5. Their teppanyaki dishes ranged in price as well with some of their more expensive lobster dishes hitting around KD16. I’ll probably pass by sometime this week and try them out. I usually enjoy sitting at the sushi bar and their sushi bar looked pretty good and big.

Benihana is located in phase II of the Avenues, in the area behind the escalator next to Dean & Deluca. They officially launch on the 20th but are open for business right now.

Note: Picture above is from last week before they opened. They’re the shop in the corner with the red sign.

A reader emailed me telling me that Caribou Coffee and BlackBerry had teamed up for an offer where if you show them your BlackBerry phone you get a KD2.5 voucher. Luckily I got the email while I was having lunch at Leila (Salhiya) and there was a Caribou Coffee right next door. After lunch I decided to pass by and see if it was true or not and if there was a catch. Turned out the offer was actually better than what the reader had emailed me.

Go to a Carribou Coffee at one of the following locations:
360 Mall
Avenues Mall
Al Kout Mall
Sahiya Mall

You will find a BlackBerry representative. All you do is show him your BlackBerry and fill out a coupon (your name, phone number, email) and you will get the following in return:

– Free coffee
– Free donut
– Free original BlackBerry rubber sleeve for your BB
– KD2.5 voucher
– A chance to win a BlackBerry Torch

You don’t have to buy anything to get all the above. I went in got all the above and didn’t even take my wallet out of my pocket. Now that’s a really good deal. The offer is available every Thursday this month only.

Thanks Babar

This is one of my favorite events that takes place in Kuwait so I definitely will be passing by. I hope they have some interesting cars this year like the Lexus LFA or the Land Rover Evoque.

The Kuwait International Fair Auto Show is one of the oldest automobile exhibitions in the Middle East. To this day, the Auto Show is growing remarkably and has positioned itself as one of the foremost automobile exhibitions in the Middle Eastern region. This must-attend event is held once every two years, and 2010 will see its appearance once again, providing a wealth of opportunities for exhibitors, sponsors and partner organizations.

When: December 12 to December 18, 2010
Where: Kuwait International Fair, Hall 5, 6, 7 & 8

For more information you can check out the KIF website [Here]

Just found this documentary about the KLT on their website. It’s really well made and interesting to watch (they’ve been around since 1948!). The documentary is divided into two parts, the first one is above and the second part if below. This is the description posted with the videos:

“From its humble beginnings as the KUOCO Independent Players in 1948 to its present day position as the leading amateur theater company in the region, Kuwait Little Theater (KLT) has undergone quite a transformation. Through archive footage, photos, interviews, and video clips dating back to the early days of The KLT, this documentary offers a fascinating stroll down memory lane of the busiest and best little theatre in Kuwait.

Join us on a journey back to times when sets were painted out in the 40 degree summer sun, theatrical lighting consisted of car headlamps, and staging a live performance in Kuwait meant closing down the local cinema for a night. Then, stroll through six decades of development as the Little Theatre is born and raised by a band of enthusiastic volunteers.

‘KLT – Celebrating 60 Years’ takes you on a journey, not only of the development of amateur theatre in Kuwait but also of the country at large as its members battle the climate, the culture and the aftermath of war to bring live entertainment to the stage year after year.”

Produced By – PANORAMA PICTURES (A division of Agrim Projects Services)
Script writer, Editor & Director – SONU SHARMA

Please write your reviews about this documentary to – [email protected]

Here is a link to the Kuwait Little Theater Documentary [Link]

Oishi Nippon at Marina Crescent is opening today. Nat’s currently designing their menu and from what I saw they will have Japanese fruits, desserts and coffee and tea.

An interesting fact, I found out that in Japan fruits are sometimes given as gifts. I thought that was an interesting and healthy concept which I might pick up on since Oishi Nippon will be selling the Japanese fruits I had previous posted about. They even package them up as gifts for you.

Update: Nat just told me they opened up yesterday.

Update2: Sorry I mixed up in my post above. Turns out the place is called Kei Cafe and not Oishi Nippon. Oishi Nippon is the name of the fruit company.

Last week I posted about how you could order an ambulance online via Kuwait’s EMS website. Well someone from the EMS commented with the following bit of information:

Thank You For The feedback..
I work for E.M.S Kuwait and this is a Non-Emergency Ambulance request, so in case of emergency you can always use the number 112. The form only requires you to fill the basic requests in order to avoid any sort of confusion like the name of the patient, age, sex and the location where the patient is located and the location to where he is to be transported. The code at the end is to make it secure from spammers.

As soon as some one clicks submit the form will be visible in the control room located in Subhan. An operator will then call to confirm that the request is a genuine case and will arrange the ambulance at the specified time for the genuine cases.

The system Installed in Subhan E.M.S is a world class one, so if anyone of you has the time please visit us in Subhan. All the ambulances in Kuwait are now fitted with laptops with a navigation system installed. Its not a regular navigation software alone but also contains a lot of other information that is passed on from the Control room like the location, age, name, condition of the patient etc. There is a new pre question and answer software as well. In emergency cases the operator will give the necessary instruction to the patient or the third party on how to do basic life support procedures like CPR. The system is developed by CyberMAK which is the I.T wing of M.A Kharafi.

Here is a link to the EMS Kuwait website [Link]

Not sure how many people know this but you can customize the main icons on the bottom of the Kuwait Blogs app. In the latest version I have my blog, Fahad’s blog, Buz Fairy and Me Blogging but you can set up any of your favorite blogs instead. All you need to do is click on “More” and then click on “Edit” on the top right. Now you can just drag and drop your favorite blogs down to the bottom bar.

There is a minor bug currently where you can’t read the names of the 4 most bottom blogs in the edit page. I couldn’t figure out how to fix that honestly. From now on for every update I will have 3 random blogs other than mine set up by default at the bottom. They will most probably be blogs which I think are good but aren’t getting the attention they should be getting.

If you haven’t downloaded the Kuwait Blogs app already click [Here]

I’ve updated the Kuwait Blogs app now to version 2.0. Basically I’ve fixed a ton of bugs and also updated the bloggers list by removing inactive blogs and adding new ones. The total amount of blogs in the App has increased and is now 21. Here is the list of blogs:

2:48AM
2:48PM
360 Dewan
4th Ring Road
Ansam
Banana Q8
Black Market
Buz Fairy
Buzberry
Confashions
Fereej
Frankom
High Street Q8
His & Hers
iLSul6ana
Me Blogging
P0ach
Tidbit Du Jour
Trying to be Fahad
Up Till One
zDistrict

Another major update is the graphics. All the icons were redone in high resolution so they will look much better on the iPhone 4’s. Previously they were looking a bit blurry but now they’re back to looking extremely sharp. You can download the update from the App Store or if you haven’t downloaded and installed the App before then you can find it in the store by searching for Kuwait Blogs or by clicking [Here]

Kuwait Chamber Philharmonia & Radisson Blu Hotel present:

Carmen – Georges Bizet

Date: Saturday December 11, 2010 at 8PM
Location: Al Hashemi II Grand Ballroom at the Radisson Blu Hotel

Performed by International Soloists:
Alicja Wegorzewska – Whiskerd – Carmen – Verica Grmusa – Micaela – Tomasz Kuk – Don Jose – Adam Szerszen – Escamillo

Tickets: KD16 (available at Radisson Blu tel 25673000 and Virgin)

For more information visit www.kuwaitcp.com

Dasman Diabetes Institute is having a big event this Thursday for World Diabetes Day, check the below for more information:

——————————————

How much do you know about diabetes? Did you know that Kuwait has one of the highest rates of diabetics in the world? You know that beautiful glass building in front of Souq Sharq? Ever wondered what it was? Be it “yes” or “no” you are invited to join us at the Dasman Diabetes Institute to celebrate World Diabetes Day.

When: Thursday, 25th November
Time: 4:00PM to 9:00PM
What: A jam packed event of educational and entertainment including:
– A cooking class by celebrity Kuwaiti chef Adlah Al-Sharhan who will show us how to make healthy machos
– Interactive gallery where you can learn, feel and explore modern ways of healthy living
– Outdoor performances by Traditional Kuwaiti Musical Band and Takht Sharqi
– A special performance by Electrik Crew, a local Kuwaiti urban dance group
– In house doctors and nurses performing free medical screenings and health stats and personalized nutrition consultations

For kids:
– Nintendo Wii tournaments
– Fas9la fitness un
– Face painting
– Nutrition knock-outs
– Magic show
– Balloon art

Snacks and refreshments included. The purpose of this event is to promote awareness, education and prevention of diabetes.

For more information contact: 22242999 ext 1160
Here is a link to the [Invite]
and here is a link to the [Facebook Page]

This sounds like an interesting and different event to go to:

“Winter Story From The Land Of Northern Lights” by a Finnish Puppet Theater

This performance tells a story of a girl and a reindeer who were both born on the night of the shooting star. This story is about friendship and courage. The performance is mostly without words and accompanied by beautiful music.

To find out what happened to the girl and the reindeer, who they met and what they experienced, get your tickets now at Radisson Blu Hotel – Viking Club reception.

For booking call 25673888 or 65718000
The ticket price is KD6
The shows will be on the 25th, 26th and 27th of November from 7:00pm to 8:00pm.

For more details head to the Radisson Blu Kuwait Facebook page. [Link]

A reader shared a link to pictures of the making of the Kiswah (the cloth that covers the Kaaba) which I hadn’t seen before. You can check out those pictures by clicking [Here]

Here is also bit of info I found on Wikipedia on the Kiswah:

Every year the old Kiswa is removed, cut into small pieces and gifted to certain individuals, visiting foreign Muslim dignitaries and organizations. Some of them sell their share as souvenirs of Haj. Earlier Umar bin al-Khattab would cut it in to pieces and distribute them among the pilgrims who used them as shelter from the heat of Makkah. The present cost of making the kiswa amounts to SR 17 million [U.S. dollar = 3.75 riyals]. The cover is 658 sq. metres long and is made of 670 kgs of pure silk. For embroidery 15 kilos of gold threads are used. It consists of 47 pieces of cloth and each piece is 14 Mts. long and 101 cms broad. The kiswa is wrapped around the Kaaba and fixed to the ground with copper rings. [Source]

Thanks t-num

Beat Diabetes – Join the Walk is the first ever walkathon to be organized by Landmark Group in Kuwait (under the patronage of the Ministry of Health and Dasman Diabetes Institute). The walkathon will start at the Yacht Club and end at the Green Island on November 27th. To register you need to pass by any Landmark Group outlet (Centrepoint, Max, Home Centre and New Look stores).

Date: Saturday, 27 November, 2010
Kit Collection: 8.00 am
Walk Time: 9.00 am
Venue: Yacht Club to Green Island

Participation is free and everybody is invited.

Recently they’ve started putting up new speed cameras on the Gulf Road. They’ve started installing cameras in new locations and they’ve also started replacing some old cameras including the red light cameras and speed cameras with newer models. The new cameras differ from the older ones in that the radar, flash and camera are no longer located all together in one housing (like this) but instead divided into two separate pieces. Currently the large box housing (better pictures below) doesn’t have any openings in the front but I am guessing that’s because the system is still being set up and installed. Judging by the pictures on the manufacturers website, the housing called the TraffiTower can hold all the systems internally including the camera so not sure why they’re installing the camera separately. Also I am guessing there must be something new, a new feature that previously wasn’t available that they will be installing in the housing or else why would they replace the reliable and practical single housing units? I took a few pictures of the new speed cameras which you can check out above and below.

For those of you who’ve been following the story of the old photographer you will be happy to know he just left to hajj today. As I mentioned in my previous post on the old photographer, a very kind reader offered to help send him to hajj at her expense. Not only did she finance the whole trip but she also helped find a hemla that would take him and she even helped him pack and take him to the airport. I really can’t thank her enough for her kindness, what she did was beyond nice. She sent me a picture of the old man at the airport today dressed in the traditional white cloths with an expression on his face that looks like he can’t believe this is all really happening and not just a dream.

There is another reader I would also like to thank for helping with the Saudi visa. If it wasn’t for his help the old man wouldn’t have been able to get a visa and he wouldn’t have been able to travel. But the old man was lucky since the visa was issued last night which was just in the nick of time because the last group from the old man’s hemla was leaving today.

So thank you to the both of you for making this old man’s wish come true.

For those of you who missed the story of the old man I’m talking about above, here are the previous posts:
In Kuwait since 1959
Update on the old photographer
What would help the old photographer
Quick update on the old photographer